Slick conditions lead to 19-car accident in Maine

FALMOUTH, Maine — The first major incident of what some forecasters are predicting will be an historic storm took place on I-295 in Maine around 7:30 this morning.

According to Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland, 19 cars were involved in a series of rush-hour crashes that occurred in the southbound lanes and forced major delays on the highway for hours. The incident took place just north of Exit 11 in Falmouth.

McCausland said the accident began when one vehicle spun out and five following vehicles collided with it. That led to a chain reaction of fender-benders involving 13 other vehicles. It took nearly four hours for tow trucks to clear the scene, during which time one southbound lane remained open but most traffic was diverted onto Route 1.

According to McCausland, one person was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. He said that dozens of other minor accidents occurred on the Maine Turnpike during the morning rush hour.